The present invention relates in general to hardware for computer systems, and, in particular, to latch for securing a mounting rail to a server system rack.
Server system racks have been provided for housing equipment, such as network server systems, telephone switch gear, power supplies, and the like. Industry standards have been adopted for server system racks, including adopting of a standard unit size for vertical heights, horizontal widths and horizontal depths of system racks. One such standard size for racks is a width of nineteen inches. The vertical height of components for installing into server system racks is typically expressed in terms of a standard vertical unit of measure xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d which corresponds to 1.75 inches. Various components have been secured to the server system racks, such as input devices, such as keyboards, and output devices, such as video display monitors. Prior art keyboards and display monitors can occupy large amounts of space in server system racks. Recently, flat panel displays have been used to provide display monitors of smaller size for mounting within drawers of server system racks. The flat panel displays have been pivotally mounted to the drawers, such that the monitors may be disposed in a horizontal position for storage, and then raised to an upright position for viewing once the drawer is pulled outward of the server system rack. Input and output devices, such as keyboards, mice, touch pads and display monitors, are connected to the servers used in a server system rack to allow users to access the servers. Cables are used to connect between stationary portions of the server system racks and the input and output devices mounted to the drawers which move relative to the server system racks. Cable management arms have been provided for securing the cables between the movable drawers and the stationary portions of the server system racks. Various components have been secured to the server system racks using threaded fasteners, which have included bolts and screws that require hand tools to secure the various components to the server system racks. Components can be assembled to server system racks much more quickly and efficiently without using fasteners that require hand tools.
A mounting bracket has a toolless fastening feature for securing to a frame having regularly spaced mounting apertures. The mounting bracket has a bracket body and a latch member. The bracket body includes first and second tabs. The second tab has a guide aperture, a clip member and a tab member. The clip and tab members extend forward of the second tab, spaced apart from the guide aperture, such that the guide aperture will register with one of the mounting apertures when the clip member and the tab member extend through two of the mounting apertures. The latch member is secured to the first tab and has a forwardly extending latch portion which is selectively moveable in lineal directions for extending through the guide aperture of the second tab and into the mounting aperture with which the guide aperture is registered.
In one embodiment, the latch member is provided by a plunger member having tapered surfaces on a forward end thereof. A rearward portion of the plunger member is fixedly secured to the first tab of the bracket body. A forward portion of the plunger member provides the forwardly extending latch portion of the latch member and is further slidably secured to the rearward portion of the plunger member, such that the forward portion is slidably secured to the first tab and slidably extends through the guide aperture of the second tab for lineally sliding relative to the guide aperture. The forward portion of the plunger member as a tapered nose, such that the latch is more easily operated for inserting into regularly spaced apertures of a rack frame. The forward and rearward portions of the plunger member are defined by two cylindrically shaped housings, within which a bias spring extends for pushing the forward portion away from the rearward portion, and forward of the second tab member.
In a second embodiment, the bracket body is of elongated shape and extends transverse to the first tab and the second tab. A slot is formed into a side, or an edge, of the first tab. The second tab is disposed on a terminal end of the elongated bracket body. The guide aperture of the second tab is aligned in fixed relation with the slot formed in the first tab. The latch member has a guide portion which extends adjacent to and slidably engages a planar portion of the elongated body of the bracket. The forwardly extending latch portion defines a latch tab which extends parallel to and forward of the guide portion, and through the guide aperture of the second tab. The latch member is slidably engaged with the bracket for selectively moving the latch member to selectively extend the latch tab from within the guide aperture of the second tab. The latch member further includes a flange which extends transverse to the guide portion. A post extends rearward from the flange, generally parallel to and spaced apart from the guide portion. The latch tab extends forward of and generally parallel to the guide portion of the latch member. The latch member slidably engages the bracket, with the guide portion of the latch member extending adjacent to the planar portion of the elongated body of the bracket, the guide portion of the latch member having an aperture which slidably receives the first tab of the bracket, with the latch tab slidably extending through the guide aperture of the second tab and the post extending from the flange of the latch member into the slot in the first tab of the bracket. A bias spring extends between the first tab and the flange of the latch member, and urges the latch member to move toward the second tab such that the latch tab protrudes outward of the guide aperture of the second tab.
In the embodiment shown, the mounting bracket having the toolless release feature is used in a one-U vertical height monitor and keyboard drawer for a server system rack which includes a movable tray and an electronic switch. The moveable tray and the electronic switch are mounted to the server system rack by a set of mounting rails, which are preferably self-adjusting. Telescoping slide assemblies are mounted to the mounting rails and slidably secure the tray to the server system rack for moving from an inward position, disposed within the rack, to an extended position, extending outward of the rack. A keyboard and a flat panel display are mounted to the tray, with the flat panel display being pivotally mounted to the tray for moving from a downward, storage position into an upright, viewing position. The electronic switch is fixedly mounted to the mounting rails, rearward of the tray, such that the electronic switch is stationary with respect to the mounting rails and the server system rack. The electronic switch is preferably secured to a stationary mount, such as a shelf or mounting bracket, which is secured to the mounting rails. The electronic switch is selectively operated to connect the keyboard and the flat panel display to various ones of the keyboard and monitor connectors of respective servers.
Preferably, a plastic, molded, flexible cable management arm is secured between the rear of the tray and the electronic switch for securing cabling which connects the electronic switch to the keyboard and the flat panel display. The flexible cable management arm is preferably formed of a single member, provided by a single piece of molded plastic, with hinges molded directly into the single piece of molded plastic. The hinges are provide by oppositely disposed grooves, formed in opposite sides of hinge regions of the single piece of molded plastic. Cable retention tabs are integrally molded into the single piece of molded plastic to define L-shaped tab members. Adjacent ones of the cable retention tabs extend from alternating ones of opposite edges of the single piece of molded plastic, with outer portions of the tab members extending across the single piece of molded plastic, spaced apart from a main body portion of the molded plastic cable management arm. Apertures are formed into the main body of the single piece of molded plastic, with one of the apertures being disposed adjacent to each of the cable retention tabs.